The new RhinoBond Plate Marking Tool is lightweight, simple-to-use and easy-to-maneuver. Simply roll the marking tool over a row of installed RhinoBond Plates. Every time it passes over a properly installed plate, the tool leaves a temporary mark on the surface of the membrane to identify the plate location. Plate marks are made with standard blue construction crayons and typically fade away within a few weeks.

The plate marking tool is compatible with all thermoplastic membranes regardless of type or thickness. In addition, the tool’s handle is reversible for quick direction changes, and lays flat for rolling under rooftop pipes and raised equipment such as air handling units. Other benefits of the new system include powerful sweeper magnets mounted on the front and back of the chassis that pick-up any metal debris on the roof. The tool is provided in a protective carrying case for easy handling and storage.

The RhinoBond System is designed for use with TPO and PVC roofing membranes. The System uses advanced induction welding technology to bond roofing membranes directly to specially coated plates that secure the insulation to the deck. The result is a roofing system with improved wind performance that requires fewer fasteners, plates, and seams, and zero penetrations of the new membrane.

The medical center is pleased with the decision to use FiberTite to protect their facility and trusts the roof system will be durable and reliable for many years to come.

Maintaining the building envelope is essential to the success of a facility with critical interior space. This is especially true with hospitals and medical centers, where facility managers need to be on top of the building envelope integrity so patients and valuable assets are protected.

When the staff at an acute care medical facility in Florida realized the building’s existing roof was reaching the end of its service life, they knew they had to take action right away. The medical center offers a 24-hour emergency department, surgical services and various other outpatient services, and avoiding interruptions caused by roof leaks was critical. Hospital officials sought out a roofing consultant to offer a recommendation for the best roofing system to protect the facility.

McEnany Roofing, located in Tampa, Fla., has been providing commercial and industrial roofing solutions for more than 27 years. “We worked on the medical facility’s behalf to recommend a roofing system for this environment,” says Mark Sloat, vice president and senior estimator at McEnany Roofing. “We used the services of an engineer to conduct an uplift test to help us determine the best roof to suit their needs.”

Roof Materials

After all the testing and research was complete, McEnany Roofing concluded that a FiberTite Roofing System was the best choice. The proven performance advantages in puncture resistance, durability, wind uplift and severe weather protection supported McEnany Roofing’s recommendation and after careful review of the data, the medical facility agreed. In 2016, McEnany Roofing installed more than 130,000 square feet of Elvaloy KEE membrane on the main hospital and two adjacent medical buildings.

Roof Report

The sensitive environment of the hospital setting also had to be taken into account. The water-based adhesive used to adhere the 45-mil FiberTite Fleeceback membrane on the upper roof of the main hospital helped mitigate odor. Other areas of the hospital had 45-mil FiberTite-SM installed using the mechanically attached securement. Both processes minimized disruption and allowed the medical center to maintain strict standards of patient care during installation. The medical center is pleased with the decision to use FiberTite to protect their facility and trusts the roof system will be durable and reliable for many years to come.

Equipment tripods are set up to hold air temperature and EMT temperature sensors.

For much of the past decade, the debate over when and where to install reflective roofing has been guided by two basic assumptions: first, since white roofs reflect heat and reduce air conditioning costs, they should be used in hot climates. Second, since black membranes absorb heat, they should be used in cool-to-colder climates to reduce heating costs. This reasoning has been broadly accepted and even adopted in one of the most influential industry standards, ASHRAE 90.1, which requires reflective roofing on commercial projects in the warm-weather portions of the United States, Climate Zones 1–3.

But as reflective membranes have become more widely used, there has been a growing awareness that the choice of roof color is not simply a matter of black or white. Questions continue to be debated not only about the performance and durability of the different types of membranes, but on the impact of other key components of the roof system, including insulation and proper ventilation. The issue of possible condensation in cooler or even cold climates is garnering more attention. Given these emerging concerns, the roofing community is beginning to ask for more detailed, science-based information about the impact of reflective roofing.

One recent area of inquiry is centering on the impact of “the thermal effects of roof color on the neighboring built environment.” In other words, when heat is reflected off of a roofing surface, how does it affect the equipment and any other structures on that roof, and how might the reflected heat be impacting the walls and windows of neighboring buildings? Put another way, where does the reflected heat go?

THE STUDY

To help answer those questions, the Center for High Performance Environments at Virginia Tech, supported by the RCI Foundation and with building materials donated by Carlisle Construction Materials, designed and implemented a study to compare temperatures on the surface and in the air above black EPDM and white TPO membranes. In addition, the study compared temperatures on opaque and glazed wall surfaces adjacent to the black EPDM and white TPO, and at electrical metallic tubing (EMT) above them.

Specifically, the Virginia Tech study was designed to answer the following questions:

What is the effect of roof membrane reflectivity on air temperatures at various heights above the roof surface?

What is the effect of roof membrane reflectivity on temperatures of EMT at various heights above the roof surface?

What is the effect of roof membrane reflectivity on temperatures of opaque wall surfaces adjacent and perpendicular to them?

What is the effect of roof membrane reflectivity on temperatures of glazed wall surfaces adjacent and perpendicular to the roof surface?

To initiate the study, the Virginia Tech team needed to find an existing roof structure with the appropriate neighboring surfaces. They found a perfect location for the research right in their own backyard. The roof of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech was selected as the site of the experiment because it had both opaque and glazed wall areas adjacent to a low-slope roof. In addition, it featured safe roof access.

In order to carry out the study, 1.5 mm of reinforced white TPO and 1.5 mm of non-reinforced black EPDM from the same manufacturer were positioned on the roof site. A 12-by-6-meter overlay of each membrane was installed adjacent to the opaque wall and a 6-by-6-meter overlay of each was installed next to the glazed wall. At each “location of interest”—on the EPDM, on the TPO, and next to the opaque and glazed walls—the researchers installed temperature sensors. These sensors were placed at four heights (8, 14, 23, and 86 centimeters), and additional sensors were embedded on the roof surface itself in the TPO and EPDM. Using these sensors, temperatures were recorded on bright, sunny days with little or no wind. The researchers controlled for as many variables as possible, taking temperature readings from the sensors on and above the EPDM and TPO on the same days, at the same time, and under the same atmospheric conditions.

The roof of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech is the site of the experiment because it has opaque and glazed wall areas adjacent to a low-slope roof.

THE RESULTS

The output from the sensors showed that at the surface of the roof, the black membrane was significantly hotter than the white membrane, and remained hotter at the measuring points of 8 cm and 14 cm (just over 3 inches and 5.5 inches, respectively). However, the air temperature differences at the sensors 23 centimeters (about 9 inches) and 86 centimeters (just under three feet) above the surface of the roof were not statistically significant. In other words, at the site the air temperature just above the white roof was cooler, but beginning at about 9 inches above the roof surface, there was no difference in the temperature above the white and black membranes.

On the precast concrete panel adjacent to the TPO and EPDM, temperatures were warmer next to the TPO than adjacent to the EPDM, leading the study authors to hypothesize that the TPO reflected more heat energy onto the wall than did the EPDM. Exterior glazing surface temperatures were found to be approximately 2 degrees Celsius hotter adjacent to the TPO overlay as compared to the EPDM overlay.

Elizabeth Grant led the team that designed and implemented the study. She says her findings show that you need to take the entire environment into account when designing a roof system. “You need to think about what’s happening on top of the roof,” she says. “Is it adjacent to a wall? Is it adjacent to windows? Is it going to reflect heat into those spaces?”

Samir Ibrahim, director of design services at Carlisle SynTec, believes the study results will help frame additional research. “These findings are an important reminder that the full impact of reflective roofing on a building and on surrounding buildings is not fully understood,” he says. “Additional research and joint studies, covering different climatic conditions, are certainly warranted to broaden the knowledge and understanding of the true impact on the built-environment.”

Duro-Last announces that it has achieved platinum certification under the NSF American National Standard for Sustainable Roofing Membranes, NSF/ANSI 347. Certified by UL, this standard represents that Duro-Last manufactures a product that is third-party verified as sustainable, durable, and high performing. The certification applies to 40, 50 and 60 mil, white, tan, gray and dark gray as well as 50 mil terra cotta Duro-Last membranes.

“Duro-Last was excited to have most of our membrane product lines certified by this third-party standard,” says Jason Tunney, executive vice president and general counsel of Duro-Last. “But we wanted to take it to the next level and achieve the highest rating possible.”

NSF/ANSI 347 was written by NSF International and, according to their website, is based on life-cycle assessment principles. NSF/ANSI 347 employs a point system to evaluate roofing membranes against established prerequisite requirements, performance criteria and quantifiable metrics in five key areas:

Product design

Product manufacturing

Membrane durability

Corporate governance

Innovation

Obtaining this certification will help the Duro-Last membrane meet the market demand for products that comply with green building standards like the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes. Product specifiers and purchasers are under pressure to find products that meet their sustainability criteria, and having the NSF 347 certification can give them the peace of mind of specifying a third-party verified product.

This certification is one more step in Duro-Last’s commitment to sustainability and transparency, coming after the announcement of the publication of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for Duro-Tuff, Duro-Fleece and Duro-Last EV membranes. To read more about Duro-Last’s sustainability efforts, visit here.

“There’s talk in the roofing industry about being ‘green’ and sustainable,” says Katie Chapman, Duro-Last corporate sustainability specialist. “At Duro-Last we want to help people make informed decisions when purchasing roofing products.”

Firestone Building Products Co. LLC has launched its Secure Bond Technology, which ensures adhesion coverage across the entire roofing membrane.

Firestone Building Products Co. LLC has launched its Secure Bond Technology, which ensures adhesion coverage across the entire roofing membrane. The company will offer Ultra Ply TPOSA and RubberGard EPDM SA with Secure Bond Technology. RubberGard EPDM SA and UltraPly TPO SA with Secure Bond Technology can be installed in temperatures between 20 and 120 F. The technology has no VOCs and does not emit odor during or after installation. It also is FM tested and approved, meets or exceeds all ASTM requirements and is covered by the Firestone Building Products Red Shield Warranty.

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November/December 2017 issue

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About Roofing

Roofing is a national publication that unravels, investigates and analyzes how to properly design, install and maintain a roof system. Through the voices of professionals in the field, Roofing’s editorial provides a unique perspective.